Improvement in locking-latches



UNITED STATES yPATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. COOK,'OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THE NASHUA LOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKING-LATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 155,] Sl., dated September 22, 1674; application led June 25, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H.' COOK, of Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain Ilnprovements in Locks, of which the following is a specification:

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a side view with the outer plate removed, showing the interior of a lock with my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is a top view of parts in detail of the same.

The present improvements relate more particularly to mortise-locks applicable mainly to outside doors, and havefor their principal object the providing ofa simple, convenient, and effective means for regulating the latch from the inside without the trouble and inconvenience heretofore necessitated by the opening of the door to admit the operation of the latch by the turning of the knob on either side of the door, or to lock the latch to prevent its operation on the outside of the door, except by the use of a night or latch key.

The devices and combinations which I use to effect these ends I will now proceed to describe and point out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents the case of a mortise-lock whose outer plate is removed. B is the face-plate, slotted to receive the latch C and lock-bolt D, which lock-bolt D is constructed and arranged as heretofore, having pivoted tumblers D', provided with springs a, bearing against a lug, b. Above bolt D, constructed as heretofore to receive lug c of a detent, F, on latch-key hub, is a latch-tumbler, E. The latch-bolt is formed as usual, with a rear bottom lug, C', that receives the action of the detent F, and is slotted in its rear portion at C, to receive and travel on alug, e, .and in its forward part is slotted and provided with a rod, f, having a spiral spring, f', and washer, abutting against a bifurcated or other bearing, g, connected with the inner case-plate and supporting the rod f; or the latch-bolt may be otherwise arranged to be operated by a spring, as preferred. The forward portion of the latch-bolt C is, in my invention, formed on the bottom with a lug or catch, Gr, against which is arranged, to be operated so as to engage with or disengage from it, a curved or other suitably-shaped arm or detent, h, radiating from the upper and outer portion of a hub, H, that turns in the case A, and is formed to receive the stem or spindle I of a thumb-piece, I, Fig. 2, provided with a disk or plate, I, that is screwed or otherwise attached to the inside of a door. The hub H is formed with an under inner radiating arm or detent, h, of suitable shape and size, so that when turned in the required direction it shall abut against and turn the bottom of a lever, K, located between the inner plate of the case A and the latch-bolt C, which bolt is, cut away, as at j, Fig. 3, to allow of its action, and turning on a fulcrum, t', attached to the inner plate. The lever K extends upward and forward in the shape shown, or may be otherwise formed to engage and disengage with and from a forward bottom projection or lug, l, of a shoe, L. The lug lis beveled on the bottom at front and back, or otherwise shaped to receive andbe held by or to be released from and allow the passage of the beveled or other shaped top of lever K. The upper and forward portion of the shoe L consists of a slotted bar containing a spiral spring, m, located on a rod, m', held in the shoe at one end, and supported at the other end in a bifurcated or other suitable bearing or lug, n, projecting from the inner plate of the case through the slot of the shoe, and forming an abutment for the springwasher. This bar or upper portion of the shoe L projects forward from a rear and downward extending plate bifurcated to straddle the knob-hub M, on which hub is located an upper arm, p, and an under arm, p', which arms abut against lugs o o', projecting from the side of the'bifurcated ends of the shoe L, whose lower portion is curved or otherwise shaped on theface to join the bar or forward upper portion and free the post t. Depending from the bottom of the forward end of the lower portion of the shoe L is, in my invention, a lug, 1', that engages in a notch, q, Fig. 3, formed on the inner side of the top of the latch-bolt; or the shoe may be otherwise arranged to connect with and carry back the bolt, or to allow the latter to be thrown back independently of it by any other means that may be preferred, in place of the lug and notch, as shown. Connected with the front end of the tumbler E is an uprightbent spring,S,th at bears against a lug, u, projecting from the side of the lower portion of a lever, K, to hold the tumbler E and lever K in their required positions. Projecting from the interior of the inner plate of the case, near the top and bottom of the lock, are screw-posts t t', the upper of which forms a bearing or fulcrum for the back of the upper portion of the lever K.

The lock is furnished at the proper places with suitable lugs, posts, blocks, or stems for supporting the several required parts, and guiding or regulating their action, as desired, and is arranged with suitable key-holes and the usual well-known appurtenances, except those dispensed with by the application of my improvements ordinarily required in the finish of locks of this description, and which need no further description herein to those acquainted with their manufacture.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: When desired to adjust the latch to allow it to be operated by the knob, either from within or without, the thumb-piece l is turned to throw the arm h against the bottom end of the lever K, whose top end is thus tipped down and forward to clear the shoe L, which is freed to be carried back by the turning of the knob on either side of the door. The lower lug r of the shoe L, engaging with the notched portion q of the latch-bolt C, abuts against and carries the latch-bolt back with the backward throw of the shoe, the springs j" and m of the latch-bolt and shoe serving to carry them forward, as usual.

When desired to adj ust the latch to prevent its operation by the knob from without, and admit of its operation from the outside only by means of a latch-key, and from the inside by the thumbpiece, the shoe L, when carried forward, is locked in position by the lever K, which is thrown back by the tumbler-spring S bearing against its lug u, so as to bring the top of the' lever K to bear against the bottom forward lug Z of the shoe L, which is thus kept stationary, while the latch-bolt C is operated Aindependently of the shoe bythe action of the upper arm h ofthe hub H against the forward bottom lug or catch G of the latch-boltC, which action is induced by the turning of the thumbpiece I on the inside of the door; or the latchbolt C is operated from thc outside of the door by a latch-key acting on the tumbler E, and

carrying the detent F against the lug C of the latch-bolt, which is thus carried back. The latch-bolt and tumbler E are carried to their original positions by the action of their respective springs f and S.

Heretofore, in order to adjust the latch of a mortise-lock to allow the free use of the knob on both sides of a door, or to admit of the operation of the latch from the outside only by the use of a latch-key, it has been necessary to open the door and adjust a slide in the face of the lock, which slide was often difficult to move, frequently requiring the use of some implement to effect its change 5 or, if moved by hand, the skin was liable tov abrasure, or the linger-nails broken, or the operator otherwise injured, or put to the inconvenience and trouble well known to any acquainted with locks of this description.

It will readily be seen, by the above description, reference being had to the drawings, that the objections above 'referred to are obviated by my improvements, which dispense with the slide in the face of the lock, and allow the latch to be operated, as desired, in a simple and convenient manner, without trouble or injury to the person operating the same, and without the inconvenience and trouble caused by the opening of the door to effect the change in the operation of the latch, as heretofore.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as vmy invention, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

.1. A spring-shoe, L, formed with a forward bottom lug or projection, l, and with a lug, r, formed on the bottom of its downward portion, and otherwise constructed and arranged as described, in combination with a spring latch-bolt, C, having a notch, q, to receive said lug r, lever K, spring S, and tumbler or lever E, arranged and operating in a lock substan tially as described.

2. In a lock arranged as herein described, the construction, combination, and arrangement of a thumb-piece, I, hub H, having detents h 7L, latch-bolt C, having catch Gr and notch q, shoe L, having lugs l fr, lever K, spring S, and tumbler E, all operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM H. COOK.

Witnesses CARROLL D WRIGIIT, SAML. M. BARTON. 

